Latest news with #HollandV
AsiaOne
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- AsiaOne
Daily roundup: 18 years' jail for woman who hacked adoptive father to death after tussle over Sengkang flat — and other top stories today, World News
Stay in the know with a recap of our top stories today. 1. 18 years' jail for woman who hacked adoptive father to death after tussle over Sengkang flat A 31-year-old woman who was suffering from persecutory delusions became frightened that her adoptive father would kick her out of the family's Sengkang flat after her adoptive mother died from cancer... » READ MORE 2. 'How long can I continue to sing for?' JJ Lin diagnosed with heart condition in 2024 JJ Lin has been diagnosed with a heart condition. The 44-year-old Singaporean singer, who is currently on his JJ20 Final Lap World Tour, revealed... » READ MORE 3. 'Wow, who is this girl?' Pierre Png and Cynthia Koh recall first time they met at water park as teens Local actors Pierre Png and Cynthia Koh are no strangers to one another in the entertainment industry, with their first on-screen collaboration dating all the way back to Holland V in 2003 as siblings Mo Yangyang and Mo Yanyan respectively... » READ MORE 4. Joss paper burning allegedly sparks corridor fire in Chai Chee; 7 received medical aid Seven people received medical treatment after a fire broke out at the corridor of a Chai Chee Housing and Development Board (HDB) block... » READ MORE editor@
AsiaOne
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- AsiaOne
'Wow, who is this girl?' Pierre Png and Cynthia Koh recall first time they met at water park as teens, Entertainment News
Local actors Pierre Png and Cynthia Koh are no strangers to one another in the entertainment industry, with their first on-screen collaboration dating all the way back to Holland V in 2003 as siblings Mo Yangyang and Mo Yanyan respectively. Since then, they have played spouses and even ex-spouses, but "seem to have skipped the girlfriend-boyfriend stage," joked Pierre, who turns 52 this October. Now, the two have taken up the role of husband and wife yet again in the upcoming thriller series Decalcomania, which is a collaboration between Singapore and Thailand. Pierre plays Mark, a policeman who is a doting husband and emotional "punching bag" to his domineering wife Sue (Cynthia). The latter runs a restaurant with her bitter mother Granny Lu (Hong Huifang), who suspects Mark is in an affair with socialite Leia (Mookda Narinrak). [[nid:720074]] In a recent interview with AsiaOne on the set of Decalcomania, they revealed that their history dates even further back to their pre-showbiz days. Their first meeting was in a water theme park when the duo was in their mid-teens, one year apart in age. Pierre recounted the series of events: "My version of the story? I met her when I had a friend who was interested in her in secondary school. They went out, and I tagged along kind of as a plus-one. Funnily enough, my first memory of Cynthia was that we were all at some water theme park. "So she was there, my friend was there, and I was like, 'Wow, who is this girl?' And many years later, I'm working opposite her." AsiaOne asked if they still bring up the moment, to which he said: "Oh, all the time. She teases me and I choose to remember a few things, while I want to forget a few things as well." Cynthia, 51, recounted her perspective: "I was from a convent school, and Pierre and his good friend Daniel would always come by our school. Back then, we would always hang out with the boys who hung around our school, or rather, camped out there. "So me and my good friend Elizabeth — who ended up dating Daniel for a short while eventually — went out together with him and Pierre to the water park and that's how I knew Pierre. I can't remember which water park it was or the white swimwear he keeps teasing me about, but it's been so many years. I was only 15 or 16 back then." Pierre reportedly went to Holy Innocents' High School while Cynthia was in Saint Anthony's Canossian Secondary School. "And then after that, obviously I was not interested in him so I didn't get his number," she joked. "And the next time I saw him, he was at the Fame Awards and I was in Mediacorp too." The Fame Awards was a Channel 5 talent competition which Pierre won in 1998. Cynthia joined showbiz in 1992. So when it comes to working on set, what's their dynamic like now? Cynthia, who recently won Best Supporting Actress at Star Awards 2025, told us there are perks to their bond. "I'm quite glad I'm doing this together with Pierre, because we don't have a lot of time on set to build chemistry this time round. And to work with someone that I've built chemistry with over the years in projects like Zero Calling (2014) and I Do, Do I? (2023), the chemistry is already there — I understand him. "And although sometimes he can be a bit troublesome, being a guy with many, many questions, he just likes to clarify things. And that's something I've kind of come to work with and accept over time in our work relationship." Pierre added: "It's really great working with Cynthia — we have a very comfortable relationship. I trust her, and she's also a very giving actress. And I've said this many times before, but I think acting has a lot to do with trust. When you come to the set, there's trust with the director, your co-stars and the crew." He elaborated: "Because the actors are giving their all and putting their emotions into a scene, so you trust that the actor acting opposite you will reciprocate your efforts. You need a safe space to create and to play." In Decalcomania, two women with identical faces (both played by Thai actress Mookda Narinrak) — Neungdeaw, a hardened owner of a nightclub in Bangkok and Leia, a sheltered Singaporean socialite — suddenly have their souls swapped after a car crash. Neungdeaw must now learn to survive a world of high-society manipulation, while Leia must navigate a criminal underworld unknown to her. The series is set to debut on Thailand's TV channels One31 and OneD application streaming worldwide in December 2025, with its Singapore broadcast on Mewatch to follow. [[nid:720135]] No part of this article can be reproduced without permission from AsiaOne.
New Paper
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New Paper
No foundation on screen in 22 years: Jeanette Aw talks beauty in her 40s
Jeanette Aw has not worn foundation on screen in 22 years. The local TV star says she was told to ditch the base make-up to better suit her breakout role as naive ingenue Mo Jingjing in the Channel 8 drama Holland V (2003). "When it aired, nobody realised," says Aw. Later, it was simply "a lot easier" to act in her bare skin, when full coverage would have meant tedious touch-ups after sweaty outdoor shots or her many crying scenes. Now, some 30 TV series and a six-year acting hiatus later, the 46-year-old is filming her comeback show - still sans foundation. While acting, she typically wears only concealer. When The Straits Times meets Aw on June 27 at the opening of nail salon Nailz Haus' new Ngee Ann City outlet, she says her secret to youthful skin is consistency. She has kept up the same skincare regimen - "not beauty", she is careful to say - since her 20s, finding little to tweak in her 40s. Keeping off thick make-up to let her skin breathe is one thing. Other habits she swears by include drinking lots of warm water, no sweet drinks - which she quit in secondary school after her PE teacher said the sugar would undo the work done in class - and double cleansing every day. She says: "I use an oil cleanser first and then a very gentle face wash. That's the thing I really believe in." Her zeal for cleaning goes all the way down to her toes. She exfoliates her heels for up to a month straight at times, particularly when they get cracked and dry after work trips to Japan for her patisserie Once Upon A Time's pop-ups there, she says. Her second career in the food and beverage industry also means she keeps her nails bare. "At most, a shine and buff," she says. But beyond the skin deep, in her inner and professional life, the actress has moved far away from the limitations of her 20s. She was drawn out of on-screen retirement by the depth of her character in the upcoming drama Highway To Somewhere, a woman who goes on a road trip with her husband (Romeo Tan) to mend their flagging marriage. It is her first leading role in a Mediacorp Chinese-language drama since After The Stars (2019). Set to premiere in March 2026, the series is based on marital conflict that cuts close to the bone for many real-life couples, with depictions of quarrels and secrets, she says. "There's a lot of emotional layers to her." Jeanette Aw as her character in Highway To Somewhere. PHOTO: MEDIACORP "Some characters are loud, with a lot of big actions, and (require) a very outward kind of performance. But I tend to be into the deep, heartfelt, emotional performance right now and that is what really called out to me." It is a departure from the cutesy mould of her earlier roles. In a Freudian slip, Aw accidentally refers to her younger self in the third person while discussing her role as a "young, silly girl" in Holland V. It was a suitable gig for her at that age and one she has a lot of affection for, but she has grown into heavier roles, she says. That the complex and meaty characters she played in The Little Nyonya (2008) and The Dream Makers (2013) ebbed into typecast offers was in part behind her decision to leave the local entertainment industry in 2019. She took up bit parts in Chinese dramas afterwards and made a cameo in Emerald Hill (2025), the sequel to The Little Nyonya, though filming did not go beyond 10 days. Highway To Somewhere calls for more subtle acting, the micro-expressions that betray true feeling. "I really like that," she adds. How did Aw make the leap? Life experience is what acting comes down to, she says. In the six-year break she took from the "sheltered world" of show business to start Once Uopn A Time in 2021, she was cheated by a contractor. She had paid him a lump sum to make deliveries, with the money meant to cover his fees over time - but he disappeared without making a single run, she says. The four-figure loss stung. It was a novel experience, she adds. "In the entertainment industry, I was very protected. I didn't meet a lot of people, just other actors, the production team and the media." Running her own ship also pushed her into giving instructions, instead of taking direction. She was no longer playing roles and reading scripts, she says, referring to the heightened stakes of real-world ventures. The bachelorette adds: "When you have all that in you, that's when you can scale back and do all the inner work for an actor." Once hailed as one of the "Seven Princesses of Mediacorp", Aw is sceptical at the suggestion of a new generation discovering her work on Netflix. The streaming giant acquired the rights to The Little Nyonya in 2016 and Emerald Hill in 2024. Still, she obliges in dispensing some counsel to younger women: "Just do what makes you happy, and double cleanse."
Straits Times
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
No foundation or sweet drinks: Jeanette Aw talks beauty in her 40s and comeback lead TV role
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Jeanette Aw pictured at the opening of Nailz Haus at Ngee Ann City on June 27. SINGAPORE – Jeanette Aw has not worn foundation on screen in 22 years. The local TV star says she was told to ditch the base make-up to better suit her breakout role as naive ingenue Mo Jingjing in the Channel 8 drama Holland V (2003). 'When it aired, nobody realised,' says Aw. Later, it was simply 'a lot easier' to act in her bare skin, when full coverage would have meant tedious touch-ups after sweaty outdoor shots or her many crying scenes. Now, some 30 TV series and a six-year acting hiatus later, the 46-year-old is filming her comeback show – still sans foundation. While acting, she typically wears only concealer. When The Straits Times meets Aw on June 27 at the opening of nail salon Nailz Haus' new Ngee Ann City outlet, she says her secret to youthful skin is consistency. She has kept up the same skincare regimen – 'not beauty', she is careful to say – since her 20s, finding little to tweak in her 40s. Keeping off thick make-up to let her skin breathe is one thing. Other habits she swears by include drinking lots of warm water, no sweet drinks – which she quit in secondary school after her PE teacher said the sugar would undo the work done in class – and double cleansing every day. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore $500 in Child LifeSG credits, Edusave, Post-Sec Education Account top-ups to be disbursed in July Singapore Man to be charged after he allegedly damaged PAP campaign materials on GE2025 Polling Day Singapore Scoot launches flights to Da Nang, Kota Bharu and Nha Trang; boosts frequency to other destinations Asia 4 dead, 30 missing after ferry sinks on way to Indonesia's Bali Singapore Electrician who bit off part of coworker's ear during fight gets 6 months' jail Singapore $1.46b nickel-trading scam: Ng Yu Zhi's bid for bail midway through trial denied by High Court Asia Thai opposition to hold off on no-confidence vote against government Business Singapore six-month T-bill cut-off yield tumbles from 2% to 1.85% She says: 'I use an oil cleanser first and then a very gentle face wash. That's the thing I really believe in.' Her zeal for cleaning goes all the way down to her toes. She exfoliates her heels for up to a month straight at times, particularly when they get cracked and dry after work trips to Japan for her patisserie Once Upon A Time's pop-ups there, she says. Her second career in the food and beverage industry also means she keeps her nails bare. 'At most, a shine and buff,' she says. But beyond the skin deep, in her inner and professional life, the actress has moved far away from the limitations of her 20s. She was drawn out of on-screen retirement by the depth of her character in the upcoming drama Highway To Somewhere, a woman who goes on a road trip with her husband (Romeo Tan) to mend their flagging marriage. It is her first leading role in a Mediacorp Chinese-language drama since After The Stars (2019). Set to premiere in March 2026, the series is based on marital conflict that cuts close to the bone for many real-life couples, with depictions of quarrels and secrets, she says. 'There's a lot of emotional layers to her.' Jeanette Aw as her character in Highway To Somewhere. PHOTO: MEDIACORP 'Some characters are loud, with a lot of big actions, and (require) a very outward kind of performance. But I tend to be into the deep, heartfelt, emotional performance right now and that is what really called out to me.' It is a departure from the cutesy mould of her earlier roles. In a Freudian slip, Aw accidentally refers to her younger self in the third person while discussing her role as a 'young, silly girl' in Holland V. It was a suitable gig for her at that age and one she has a lot of affection for, but she has grown into heavier roles, she says. That the complex and meaty characters she played in The Little Nyonya (2008) and The Dream Makers (2013) ebbed into typecast offers was in part behind her decision to leave the local entertainment industry in 2019. She took up bit parts in Chinese dramas afterwards and made a cameo in Emerald Hill (2025), the sequel to The Little Nyonya, though filming did not go beyond 10 days. Highway To Somewhere calls for more subtle acting, the micro-expressions that betray true feeling. 'I really like that,' she adds. How did Aw make the leap? Life experience is what acting comes down to, she says. In the six-year break she took from the 'sheltered world' of show business to start Once Uopn A Time in 2021, she was cheated by a contractor. She had paid him a lump sum to make deliveries, with the money meant to cover his fees over time – but he disappeared without making a single run, she says. The four-figure loss stung. It was a novel experience, she adds. 'In the entertainment industry, I was very protected. I didn't meet a lot of people, just other actors, the production team and the media.' Running her own ship also pushed her into giving instructions, instead of taking direction. She was no longer playing roles and reading scripts, she says, referring to the heightened stakes of real-world ventures. The bachelorette adds: 'When you have all that in you, that's when you can scale back and do all the inner work for an actor.' Once hailed as one of the 'Seven Princesses of Mediacorp', Aw is sceptical at the suggestion of a new generation discovering her work on Netflix. The streaming giant acquired the rights to The Little Nyonya in 2016 and Emerald Hill in 2024. Still, she obliges in dispensing some counsel to younger women: 'Just do what makes you happy, and double cleanse.'
Straits Times
09-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- Straits Times
Forum: Fewer and fewer places ‘with character' due to gentrification
A sense of nostalgia swept over me as I read the article (Empty shops, boarded windows: Has Holland Village lost its mojo?, June 7) As a teenager who went to school nearby in the 1990s and subsequently, navigated a budding social life as a young adult in the early 2000s, 'Holland V' has always held a special place in my heart. Having first dinner dates as junior college students at Fosters, aptly described as 'An English Rose Cafe', was as commonplace as having ice-cream dates at the now-defunct Haagen-Dazs in Lorong Mambong. Other fond memories include bumping into home-grown singer Stefanie Sun at the old Holland Villlage Food Centre (before its makeover) who said 'hi' with a tip of her baseball cap as mutual acquaintances exchanged warm greetings while having a late night supper. Wala Wala Cafe Bar was one of our go-to places for weekend and midweek gatherings as young adults – fun times spent on scintillating conversations that got increasingly animated as the nights wore on. Singapore has the unenviable and delicate task of striking a good balance between the old and new. As more and more places go through development, spurred on by rental prices and market forces, is our uniquely Singaporean version of gentrification resulting in fewer and fewer places 'with character', such as Tiong Bahru and Holland Village? We need to do more so that such havens, which played an important role in our personal stories, do not fade into our distant collective memories. Teo Eng Keat Julian More on this Topic Forum: What readers are saying Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
